coolmelbourne.org

2011 Closing Dates

    * Round 1: Friday 25th February, 5pm (EST)
    * Round 2: Friday 13th May, 5pm (EST)
    * Round 3: Friday 5th August, 5pm (EST)

Since 2008 Coles has been providing School Garden Grants of up to $1,000 to schools and youth groups to help create gardens in their grounds or community, such as bush tucker gardens, water wise gardens or veggie gardens.

These programs encourage students to learn about the environment through “outdoor learning” and interaction in developing their own school gardens.

2010, Coles embarked on a special Indigenous gardens project with Junior Landcare. This project will help to establish bush tucker and veggie gardens in 30 Indigenous pre schools all over New South Wales.

The bush tucker garden programs aim to assist indigenous students and communities through developing veggie gardens to learn about the importance of nutrition and fruit and vegetables in lead a healthy lifestyle.

For more information on how Coles and Landcare are working together head to the Coles website for more information.

NOTE: All schools, kindergartens, daycare centers, and youth groups (i.e. Scouts) are eligible to apply for a Junior Landcare grant.

Check website for further information.

Coles Grant Example Project

An ideal Coles project could look something like this:
Help Street Primary School is trying to be more sustainable and decides that one way to do this is to create their own veggie patch. The produce from the veggie patch could then be used in the school canteen to minimize food miles, sold to raise funds or taken home by students.

Planning

The school considers the types of produce it can grow, suitable areas within the school to locate the new garden (considering both school and growing requirements) and the costs involved.

The whole school, along with parents are invited to help build and care for the veggie patch. As part of their project Green garden school also decide they will plant some indigenous bush tucker plants. They engage their local landcare group for advice on which species will work and approach the local council to see if they will supply the plants free of charge. The construction of the garden and plant purchase consumes a major component of the project budget and each element is individually costed out in the budget.

To provide natural fertilizer for their garden the school also decides to create a compost heap or purchase a worm farm. This will help the school to reduce green waste going to landfill and will further increase the school’s sustainability. This will consume the remaining funds in the budget. Green waste recycling containers are placed next to every general waste bin and an awareness raising campaign is launched throughout the whole school to help everyone understand and adopt the changes.

The school also considers introducing chickens to the garden. This will also provide natural fertilization for the garden and help recycle green waste. This would have the added bonus of producing eggs which the school can then sell or use in the canteen however the school decides this is not within their budget at this stage.

Sharing of Information and Knowledge

To share what they have learnt the school also invites students from other schools to come and visit their veggie patch to see what they have achieved and to consider ways in which the schools may work together to expand on the great work already completed. To help facilitate this on an ongoing basis and to help look after the garden the school establishes a garden club led by senior students.

The school also contacts their local newspaper in a bid to inform the local community of their activities and to promote greater awareness of Junior Landcare, their project and sustainability in general to the wider community.

This project is ideal as it:

• Engages the whole school
• Demonstrates good planning
• Undertakes a number of activities in addition to establishing the garden ( awareness campaign, green waste recycling, school visit/field day)
• Involves parents and other members of the community including the local landcare group and other schools
• Promotes leadership
• Promotes sustainable gardening principles (green waste recycling and natural fertiliser use)
• Attempts to seek additional funding/supplies from another source
• Demonstrates a well researched and specific budget with majority of the funds going to on ground activity (garden establishment, green waste recycling etc).
• Shares key learnings and information with others